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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27636034">A Duel on Neutral Ground</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c'>sanctum_c</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Renegade Endless Summer 2019 - Aerti Flavour [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aerith Gainsborough Lives, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Highlander Fusion, Alternate Universe - Revolutionary Girl Utena Fusion, Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Contests, Crack Treated Seriously, Duelling, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fantasy, Gardens &amp; Gardening, Girls Kissing, Highlander References, Implied/Referenced Sex, Kissing, Light-Hearted, Meditation, Not Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII) Compliant, Not Before Crisis (Compilation of FFVII) Compliant, Not Compilation of Final Fantasy VII Compliant, Not Crisis Core (Compilation of FFVII) Compliant, Not Dirge of Cerberus (Compilation of FFVII) Compliant, Not Final Fantasy VII Remake Compliant, POV Tifa Lockhart, Partial Nudity, Pre-Relationship, Public Nudity, Revolutionary Girl Utena References, Seduction, Swordfighting, Swordplay, Swords, Top Aerith Gainsborough</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2019-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2019-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:27:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>849</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27636034</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Cold steel on the underside of her chin. The metal forced her head up; Tifa opened her eyes. Aeris Gainsborough – the Aeris Gainsborough – stared down at her, looking along the length of her sword. “I have finally caught you by surprise.”</i>
</p><hr/><p>Tifa is meditating, but Aeris Gainsborough would rather fight.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Renegade Endless Summer 2019 - Aerti Flavour [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020456</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Duel on Neutral Ground</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the prompt 'Garden' - a strange mash-up of <i>Highlander</i> and <i>Adolescence of Utena</i>.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The garden offered a place of refuge for now. Away from prying eyes, away from the business and complications of life. Tifa sank to her knees, head bowed, eyes closed in the quiet solitude. This was enough. This-</p><p>Cold steel on the underside of her chin. The metal forced her head up; Tifa opened her eyes. Aeris Gainsborough – the Aeris Gainsborough – stared down at her, looking along the length of her sword. “I have finally caught you by surprise.”</p><p>Tifa scowled. “This is neutral ground. Our quarrel exists outside these spaces. Never here.” She moved to push the blade away, but Aeris stepped closer, the cold steel resting uncomfortably against her neck.</p><p>“Our quarrel as you so call it knows no boundaries.” Part of the game; or at least the intention. Circling around for the grand prize; something fleeting and difficult to pin down, but all wanted it, all sought it. And Tifa wound up drawn into this strange game by accident. Forced to defend at first but later seeking out her opponents. Aeris was the first significant challenger who remained a competitor. The one she fought with on the most occasions. The one she always enjoyed fighting, though the duels never ended conclusively. Outside interference, exhaustion, low light. The definitive moment between them would have come eventually.</p><p>But Aeris seemed to have grown impatient and, for want of a better word, cheated. The garden was off-limits. But here she was. With a sword. Control. She was not dead yet. “So. This is it? You leave me defenseless, kill me and seek the prize yourself?”</p><p>“Defenseless?” Aeris shrugged. “No one requires you to leave your sword behind.” A smile. “Kill you? Like this? Would I ever be so unsporting?”</p><p>An impression; Aeris as the grinning, playful yet dangerous cat. And Tifa as the mouse she toyed with. Perhaps Aeris would be honorable. Perhaps she would be content to slay her, plant her sword upon her body and insist on- Whatever explanation allowed her to continue. The end justifying the means. “You might.”</p><p>“Oh, Lockhart. I thought you knew me better.” Her sword moved away but she did not sheath it. “I am disappointed though. I could let you run and get your sword but, I might not be so ready to do this then.”</p><p>Something in amongst the flowers not far from her hand. A broom-handle. A foolhardy option versus a sword, but she needed a retort. The broom came apart easily and Tifa sent a wave of petals into the air. She held the broom-handle out in front of her ready. “This will do for a sword.”</p><p>Aeris was less than impressed. “I do not think that will last long.” Tifa stepped forward and lunged at Aeris. She countered the strike and grinned. “But still; who I am to deny you? I am not without sympathy; I will not take this as official if you fall here.” Tifa nodded and struck again, forced onto her back foot as Aeris sliced through the air at her. The duel began.</p><p>They traded blows each striking and defending as circumstances required it. The broom handle rapidly gained a succession of cuts and scratches, but the temporary sword was still strong enough. No way to kill, but to kill Aeris- Tifa shook her head. “Since these duels began I’ve been reading about sword fights in the past.” Aeris remained calm.</p><p>“Oh?” Tifa ducked a blow and landed a hit on Aeris’s thigh.</p><p>“At one stage women duelled topless.” Aeris was grinning again. “It was the risk of infection you see; cloth getting into wounds as they clotted.”</p><p>Another lunge; Aeris knocked it aside. “I think you’ll be okay with this. Can’t cut you with this.”</p><p>Aeris hummed an acknowledgement. “How about you though?”</p><p>“Modern medicine should be enough to stop that.” Would it? Was Aeris making the whole thing up?</p><p>“Perhaps. If you got there in time.”</p><p>A distraction might help. Aeris surely would not expect her to undress now. The surprise might give her enough time to disarm her; Tifa countered the next blow one-handed. She tore the buttons of her shirt and pulled it from her shoulders. A dodge to the side and she unhooked her bra, flinging the garment clear. There. Aeris charged at her before she could blink. A heavy, far too heavy swing- Had she been toying with her before?</p><p>The broom handle flew from Tifa’s grip and landed somewhere else. Aeris was close, too close, breathing hard, her sword against Tifa’s neck. Tifa hardly dared breathe, staring up into Aeris’s eyes. “I win.” Aeris’s voice came out as a murmur.</p><p>Tifa had lost – lost so abruptly, and as if she never had a chance. But somehow she did not mind. Now it would be over with. Wait. The sword dropped away and Aeris was there- Her lips pressed into Tifa’s, anxious, needing. Tifa’s heart was going to explode, but nothing except this mattered now. Not the duels, not her partial nudity. Aeris needed her and gods, Tifa needed her too. She kissed back, dragging Aeris closer.</p>
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